


The Perfect Skirt

by orionwrites



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: First Date, Fluff, Jearmin Secret Santa, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-30
Updated: 2014-12-30
Packaged: 2018-03-04 07:42:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,610
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3004262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orionwrites/pseuds/orionwrites
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Armin Arlert knows that a great outfit can go a long way, especially on a date. But this first date with Jean Kirschstein is something special, and only the perfect skirt will do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Perfect Skirt

He had floral shorts.

He had striped shorts.

He had zig-zag shorts.

He had shorts with no pattern at all.

Armin Arlert had probably a hundred pairs of shorts but not a single one to wear. There was no way on earth he was wearing shorts on his first date with Jean Kirschstein.

On such short notice, Armin knew finding the perfect skirt would be difficult, but he knew he could do it with help. He called up the only person who would understand his dilemma, the only other bigender person he knew, and the best skirt shopper he had ever met.

These all happened to be the same person: Hange.

Hange had taken Armin shopping countless times (see also: the reason he had so many shorts), but never for an occasion as important as _a first date with Jean Kirschstein_. Armin had had a crush on Jean since elementary school, and he never could have dreamed that it would be returned, despite spending countless nights dreaming of their first date. The county fair was happening that weekend, and Jean...well, he tried his best to ask Armin to go with him, but it was more like Jean sputtering and blushing while Armin deciphered the meaning. But Jean's nerves aside, they were going to the county fair that evening and Armin couldn't be more excited.

If only he could find the perfect skirt.

He had the rest of his outfit planned out: a white button up shirt with sleeves rolled up to his elbows made with a light shiny fabric that felt like silk but didn't cost like it and his new white-on-white low cut Vans. Any color skirt would go with that combination.

Hange picked Armin up and they went to the mall together, hitting all the shops they frequented. Armin tried on maybe a million skirts, of all different patterns and styles. He even tried on dresses, willing to forego his pre-planned outfit just to find something decent to wear.

Nothing.

Armin hung his head as they trudged out of the last store. He was defeated. It was shorts for him. Doomed to shorts on his first date with Jean Kirschstein. Hange placed a hand on Armin's shoulder. "Let's stop for some soft-serve, alright?" they suggested. Armin sighed. He didn't want ice cream. He wanted to buy a new skirt and look nice for Jean.

"Yeah," he replied, voice quiet."Ice cream sounds fine."

Hange linked arms with Armin as they made their way to the food court. Armin's eyes passed over all the stores he once had faith in, all the stores that had betrayed him by not having the perfect skirt in stock.

But...there it was. Sitting on a clearance rack outside the bargain store. A mint skirt with little roses printed all over it.

_The perfect skirt...._

Armin bolted towards the store, jumping over a bench and a toddler and barely stopping himself before crashing into the rack. His fingers searched the rack, scanning for the mint skirt in his size. The first two were too big, but this third one...could it be?

"Hange!" Armin called. He dropped his bag outside the store and ran inside, shouting, "Watch my bag, please!" to Hange.

Into the nearest dressing room. Into the skirt.

It fit!

It was the perfect skirt after all!

Armin gave a shout as he left the dressing room, garnering a few concerned glares from other customers. Hange stood just inside the store now, holding Armin's bag, which he took from them in order to pay for his skirt.

Armin was so excited he asked Hange to skip the ice cream entirely and take him straight home so he could wear his skirt, despite the fact that it was easily five hours before his date was supposed to happen.

* * *

"Is, um, is your cotton candy good?" Jean asked, hand jammed into his pocket while the other one scratched the back of his neck.

Armin hummed happily after jamming two sticky blue cotton-candy-covered fingers into his mouth. Is was a miracle his shirt was staying clean through that mess, and that he was keeping the sticky candy on his fingers and his face only.

They stopped in front of the bathrooms, and Armin said, "Hold on, let me wash my hands."

As he walked away, Jean called after him, "Maybe your face a little too. M-maybe."

Jean turned bright red and wanted to slap himself. That was rude, to tell Armin that his face was messy. Wasn't it?

"Oh, thanks!" Armin smiled, making his way to the sink.

While Armin cleaned up, Jean beat himself up over the fact that the only sentence he'd managed to get through without an "um" all night was borderline rude.

Armin returned, and Jean tried again. "S-so what do you wanna ride now?"

Armin smiled, and Jean congratulated himself. A stutter, but no "um." He was certainly improving.

"Let's go on the ferris wheel," Armin decided, taking a hold of Jean's arm and nearly sprinting to the ferris wheel line with Jean in tow.

When they were almost at the front of the line, Jean caught sight of Armin's skirt and blushed. "Hey, uh," he began, catching Armin's hand to get his attention, "maybe you should cross your legs up there. Just...because you're wearing a skirt. You know...protect your modesty."

"Don't worry, Jean," Armin teased. "My modesty's not in any danger."

Jean glanced at the ground. What did that even mean? His eyes moved back up, and he caught sight of his hand, still gently touching Armin's. Armin caught Jean looking and laced his fingers with Jean's, smiling at his date's nervous reaction.

They held hands as they sat down in the ride, and as the wheel turned and lifted them further and further into the sky, Jean squeezed Armin's hand tighter and tighter. The ride paused at the top, and Armin leaned forward.

"What are you doing?" Jean asked.

Armin grinned at Jean and leaned back again, moving back and forth in the seat and rocking it. He laughed as the seat moved, but Jean clung to Armin with one hand and to the bar with the other. His knuckles turned bright white before the ride let them down and he could breathe easily again.

Jean's legs were shaky as he and Armin walked to the games. He'd told himself at the beginning of the night that he was going to uphold the age-old cliche of winning a stuffed animal for his date.

He walked up to the booth with the biggest stuffed animals and asked Armin which one he wanted. Armin picked the fluffy panda that hung right at the front.

Jean gave the man his tickets and in return was given three balls. He threw the first ball at the stack of milk bottles, knocking all three down. The second one hit, too. Jean licked his lips, shuffling the last ball in his hand while he focused on the last stack. He aimed for the bottom just as he'd done on the first two. The ball left his hand, his fingertips, and....

Missed the stack entirely.

The man laughed gruffly and tossed a pair of plastic yellow sunglasses at Jean, a consolation prize.

Armin joined Jean as he apologized for not being able to win the bear.

"It's okay," Armin said, taking the sunglasses and sliding them on. "Let me try."

One, two, three, the bottles all fell and Armin was soon the proud owner of a cute stuffed panda bear.

* * *

Jean walked Armin to his front door, but he had no idea what to say as Armin was about to go inside. The two stood quietly on the stoop, looking at each other and fidgeting, trying to come up with something.

Armin looked up at the sky, purple, pink, orange and greying as the dusk faded into nighttime. "The sunset is really pretty," he commented.

Jean turned, catching sight of the sky. He smiled, but the most he could say was, "Yeah."

As they gazed at the sunset, Armin reached slowly towards Jean's hand. Jean did the same, and their fingers linked easily once more. Armin exhaled happily, and breathed "I had a good time with you today."

Jean turned a soft gaze on Armin, but again, all he could manage to say was, "Yeah," punctuated with a light laugh and a nod.

Armin shook his head, returning the laugh and stretching up on his toes to hug Jean. "Thank you for taking me out," he said gratefully, moving to kiss Jean's cheek.

As he felt the pressure of Armin's lips on his cheek, he turned his face to return it. Armin moved away as Jean turned his face and their lips brushed, just for a moment. Jean's face flushed instantly, and a massive fluttering feeling grew in his stomach. Armin giggled, covering his mouth with the head of his stuffed panda as he turned towards his front door.

"I'll, uh, s-see you later," Jean said, stammering all over again.

Armin stifled a huge grin. "Yeah, definitely."

Jean watched as Armin unlocked his door, and as he was about to walk inside called, "Hey, Armin?"

"Yeah?"

"Your skirt is really pretty. You look good in it."

"Th-thanks."

Jean smiled to himself as Armin scurried inside, proud that he finally made Armin stutter like he'd been doing all night.

Armin closed the front door behind himself, hugging his stuffed panda to his chest. His face was warm.

For the first time that night, Jean made Armin's face turn beet red and his heart flutter.

Armin never wanted to stop feeling like that.


End file.
